Say No! More (Switch) Review

Say No! More is literally an on-rails saying “no” simulator. Yes, it is as ridiculous as it sounds but the humorous presentation carries a very serious message.  The experience is short, only lasting about an hour, but I had a laughing smile on my face until the credits rolled.

The gameplay is essentially one long QTE and I sort of don’t want to go into detail here because it has potential to ruin the experience. Playing as an intern for a large company, the game gives the player one task and one task only – saying “no” to pretty much every request. A coworker asks to get her coffee, say “no.”  Asked to fix the jammed printer, respond with “no” and keep moving. The entire plot revolves around your manager stealing your unicorn lunch box and you trying to get it back by saying “no.”  When you say no, NPCs literally fly back as if they got hit with a fierce hadoken, with doors busting off hinges and columns tipping. The ridiculousness is cranked to 11 and the experience is better for it.

Saying “no” isn’t enough in most situations, however. That is where your handy cassette player and Hulk Hogan-like motivational speaker comes into play. Like ghost Obi-Wan, these tutorial segments unlock new types of nos. Hot angry nos, a cold no, even casual “nahs” are thrown into the mix. Then, paired with an emotion, NPCs won’t know what hit them. For example, if someone asks you a question, you can choose to nod your head as if you are agreeing, then slam them with a hot no by holding down the button. Each encounter will only last a second or two but each no is stupidly funny.

What makes this no saying simulator so humorous is the PSOne style visuals and purposely cheap animations. The blocky character models and textured mouths during speech is another reason why this game is humorous. Everyone walks with this Russian marching animation and it never gets old.  The visuals remind me a lot of Katamari Damacy or Untitled Goose Game but even more colorful and absurd. Each character’s voice work is also performed perfectly – it is cheesy on purpose and completely fits the mood of the presentation, thanks in part to the excellent writing. 

Honestly, there isn’t much game here. You flick an analog stick and tap the d-pad to select the type of no, then hit the face button to unleash it. There really isn’t a way to lose or get penalized either; if one type of no doesn’t work, just switch to another and let them have it. The challenge level is very low but that is totally ok in his instance because it is supposed to be.  My only complaint comes from the lack of replay value.  Once the short campaign is over, there isn’t incentive to play it again. By the end, the player has access to several types of nos and emotions but never really has a chance to use them all to their full advantage.  In comparison, let me reference the original Metal Gear Solid since the PSOne graphics sort of remind me of this Konami classic.  During the campaign, you only really experience a fraction of what Snake can do with all the weapons and abilities available. Hence, VR Missions were included as a playground to test all the cool abilities and tricks.  With so many types of nos, it is a bit of a shame I cannot aim for a high score on the leaderboards or move around in a sandbox environment. Oh well, that is what sequels are for I guess. I just want more because the no saying mechanic is so good.

The messaging behind saying no might sound condescending on paper but it actually can open eyes to the world in which we live. We often feel like we have to say yes to avoid confrontation or awkward situations.  In fact, saying no might be more awkward but that is the point. It is ok to say no and the ending proves this in perfect examples that encourages team work and it is possible to say no while still being polite.  Whenever you can take a serious topic like this but present it in a humorous and entertaining way, it deserves all the credit in the world. 

Do I recommend playing this game? I strongly say “Yes,” pun intended. 

Also available on PC and iOS.

Better Than: confrontation in real life  

Also Try: the tips you learn in this game in real life  

Wait For It: a super realistic Katamari game on PS5 that uses the latest Unreal Engine

By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com

Twitter: @ZackGaz